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Regional Office for Africa (RAF)

Programme Review

November 2010

Foreword

FAO’s mandate for a world without hunger is no where more pertinent than in Africa where over 200 million people are facing chronic malnutrition.

Building a food secure region for future generations is the guiding vision behind RAF’s agriculture development framework. RAF has identified four priorities for our programme of work for the next biennium; these are (i) to increase agricultural productivity and diversification, (ii) to promote sustainable natural resources management (iii) to support market access and sanitary measures for better trade, and lastly, (iv) knowledge management, information and advocacy in Africa.

We are committed to ensuring that governments receive high quality technical advice to enable them to plan national agriculture programmes that have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of farmers throughout the region.

Moreover, strengthening partnerships between RAF and key stakeholders within the region including the African Union and NPCA/CAADP has been critical to our ability to develop successful regional programmes to deliver food security.

Investing in agriculture in collaboration with governments, regional agencies and international donors is essential to delivering results on the ground. Working together to create effective development partnerships will support the successful formulation of rural programmes that serve the interests of governments and the rural communities that we serve.

Maria Helena Semedo FAO Assistant Director-General Regional Representative for Africa

P a g e | 3 RAF Programme Review

FAO Regional Office for Africa © Nov Edition 2010

Acknowledgements

Many thanks for contributions from the FAO Sub Regional Offices for Eastern, Western and Southern Africa. Special thanks to all staff at the FAO Regional Office for Africa who provided comments and suggestions during editing and drafting of the final document. Courtesy to FAO Mediabase for photographs featured in the publication. Copyright reserved.



Contents

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Luanda hosts 2010 Regional Conference for Africa 5 CAADP: Delivering Africa’s agriculture revolution 7 Agriculture investment workshop held in Addis 9 FAO and EU bolster support to drought affected Sahel West Africa 10 Climate change in Africa: the threat to agriculture 11 Improving Africa’s water security 13 Agriculture data tool kit on gender developed for Africa 14 Fisheries Review West Africa 2010 15 FAO Country Assistance: South Africa 17

Building skills to boost Liberia’s rice crop 18

Ethiopia groundbreaking livestock feed 19

Ghana UNDAF Country Analysis 20

FAO Country Assistance: Tanzania 21 Somalia humanitarian crisis eases 22 FAO partners with Rome based agencies at Zambia agriculture show 23 Boost to market access in Northern Uganda 24

Participatory Forest Management in Ethiopia 25

RAF Staff Interview 27

Annex: 28

RAF Finance overview

FAO Offices in Africa



Luanda hosts 2010 Regional Conference for Africa

Member states from across the region participated in the 26th FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC) which was held in Luanda, Angola from 3‐7th May 2010. The conference was opened by FAO’s Director General Jacques Diouf who pressed for more attention to be given towards Africa’s food crisis. During the conference delegates highlighted the funding challenges facing Africa’s agriculture sector stating that inadequate investment was at the root of Africa’s slow progress on agriculture reform. Concerns were raised regarding the failure to honour commitments made at recent Gleneagles and L’Aquilla international summits where world leaders promised billions of dollars in investment for food security in Africa. Delegates reaffirmed

their commitment to the Common Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) standing by pledges made under the 2003 Maputo declaration to invest a target of 10% of national budgets towards agricultural development. Additionally, the promotion of the Africa Fertiliser Fund Mechanism and the implementation of the 2006 Abuja Fertiliser Summit recommendations were cited as important reform issues moving forward. Africa’s food crisis was discussed as part of the conference agenda. Solutions proposed included the need to mainstream CAADP into national planning processes and to strengthen institutional

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Delegates wait to be addressed at FAO Africa Regional Conference in Luanda Angola.



and capacity building in developing post compact investment programmes and sector policies The conference provided an opportunity to approve the programme framework for FAO in Africa for the next biennium and to reinforce the spirit of collaboration and interdependency between FAO and member country networks. FAO activities in the region would be based around the four programme priorities agreed by member states. These were firstly, to increase agricultural productivity and diversification; secondly to promote sustainable Natural Resource Management; thirdly, to support market access and sanitary measures for better trade and lastly to develop knowledge management, information and advocacy in Africa. Members were supportive of priorities proposed by FAO which were felt to be well aligned with the regional CAADP framework. Members also commented on the relevance of the conference agenda with its inclusion of current topics such as soaring food prices and climate change. The next FAO Regional Conference for Africa will be held in Brazzaville, Congo in 2012. The major theme for the conference is yet to be decided however possible topics for discussion include private sector assessment of government initiatives; agro business and agro industry development, South-South cooperation and progress on CAADP implementation.

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Alhaji Jallow (RAF) Conference Secretary.

Helena Semedo, Assistant Director sits with Jacques Diouf, Director General.



CAADP: Delivering Africa’s agriculture revolution

FAO has worked closely with NPCA on strengthening the Common Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) across the region. As a regional initiative led by the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), CAADP has promoted the streamlining of agriculture development priorities from local to national and sub regional stakeholders around the continent. FAO has been highlighted as a major factor in the successful execution of CAADP. The head of NPCA, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki (CEO) stated that, ‘the support and partnership of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to our work on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is crucial to our implementation of CAADP’.

Providing a forum for the discussion and negotiation of appropriate strategies for CAADP implementation has been a key priority for FAO. In addition to undertaking an advocacy role in promoting the benefits of CAADP to the international donor community, FAO has taken part in the coordination of Regional Economic Communities in relation to the execution of CAADP implementation. Working in partnership with ECOWAS, FAO assisted with the development of the Agriculture Strategy for West African states leading to the production of the Regional Partnership Compact 2006-2010 and has also partnered with COMESA in the production of its draft regional compact.

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A student of the Namadzizi F.P. School in the Mangochi District, Malawi (a Junior Farmer Field and Life Skills school) learning farming techniques in the school garden.



FAO’s support to CAADP has revolved around four broad themes, support to the preparation of country and regional rountables, assistance to RECs and countries in their Post Compact activities, institutional capacity strengthening and advocacy and resource mobilization.

Several countries have moved into the post planning phase and are ready to implement the national agriculture plans that make up the CAADP compact.

The mobilization of support to CAADP country processes is being coordinated through technical assistance provided by decentralized and country offices. The FAO technical CAADP Task Team is charged with ensuring streamlined and integrated support from its various technical divisions to support CAADP implementation.

Ensuring adequate investment for CAADP is a major challenge for the region, many countries lack the necessary funding to start implementation. Developing investment programmes for countries that have signed up to CAADP is another priority area for FAO FAO is providing assistance in the formulation of investment portfolios and strategies for resource mobilization.

FAO’s approach to CAADP is demand driven and depends on requests from member states for assistance. Building a balanced partnership between NPCA and FAO is a priority in ensuring that the CAADP process is lead by African governments in alliance with national stakeholders.

Progress on CAADP Implementation In total 22 countries have completed CAADP compacts to date (detailed below). Benin, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Uganda, Togo, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania and Burkina Faso. The Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme has awarded over $USD 200M of funding to 5 African countries (Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Niger and Ethiopia). It is expected that these funds will directly benefit efforts to accelerate CAADP implementation.

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A farmer family with harvested corn stalks in Burkina Faso.

A farmer working in the rice fields in Bagré, Burkina Faso .

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Agriculture investment workshop held in Addis

agricultural performance and agreed that the focus should be on finding practical, effective and timely solutions, to convert the challenges into development opportunities. The commercialization of small-scale agriculture was raised as a key priority alongside the need to enhance the effectiveness of producer organisations. The workshop was attended by participants from private sector firms, representatives of their chambers, farmer associations, investment promotion organizations, development banks, commercial banks; and government officials. The Government of Uganda has volunteered to take the lead in the follow up of workshop recommendations with the support of FAO.

A Workshop on agriculture investment was organized to Addis Ababa to discuss the findings of the 2009 FAO study on perceptions of what constrains private sector agricultural sector investment in Eastern Africa. The workshop titled “Private Sector Agricultural Investment in Eastern Africa – What Can Make it Happen?", was co-organised by the FAO Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE) and the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (“the PTA Bank”) on 13 - 14 May 2010 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Six Working Groups held in-depth discussions on the core challenges identified by the FAO Study as restricting private investment. Participants expressed shared concern at low

FAO Sub Regional Office for East Africa, Addis Ababa.

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FAO has provided quality seeds to 100 000 vulnerable farmers in Burkina Faso, following a mounting food crisis in the Sahel as part of an € 18 million operation funded by the European Union (EU)

According to FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) the food situation is of serious concern, where more than 10 million people are at risk of hunger. In Burkina Faso, cereal production fell 17% as a result of poor rains in 2009.

FAO's Emergency Coordinator in Burkina Faso, Jean-Pierre Renson is leading the distribution of improved seeds to 100 000 farmers in time for the planting season. "Areas with high production levels can compensate for areas which don't produce as much, which lack seeds, and which face food insecurity," says Renson. "So part of the production goes to the high risk areas to fill the deficit." The EU-funded operation will improve food security of more than 860 000 rural households, over 6 million people.

The aim is to boost food production by making improved seeds available to farmers from low income households in addition to promoting sustainable seed multiplication and certification. The effort falls under the auspices of the ‘EU Food Facility', Europe's €1 billion response to the global food crisis, spurred on by soaring food prices in 2007 and 2008. FAO is also supporting some 900 seed producers in irrigated areas in southern Burkina Faso. Seed producers will be given the opportunity to increase their revenue while contributing to improved national food security.

FAO is working closely with the government and civil organizations on improving seed quality. This includes efforts to support seed chain development by providing institutional and technical support to national public services. So far FAO assistance has been provided to the Institute of the Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) and the National Seed Service.

FAO and EU bolster support to drought affected Sahel

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Area affected by drought in Niger covered by FAO assistance to improve food security of vulnerable households.



Climate change is emerging as a major challenge to agriculture development in Africa. The increasingly unpredictable and erratic nature of weather systems on the continent have placed an extra burden on food security and rural livelihoods. The threat to food security poses a major challenge for two third of Africa’s population dependent on agriculture as the primary source of livelihood. Agriculture is expected to pay a significant cost of the damage caused by climate change. Progress on rural development has already been hit hard by the combined effect of the global financial downturn and the food crisis, as a result, hunger and malnutrition trends remain stubbornly high. Without extensive adaptation the effects of climate change on agriculture is expected to exacerbate Africa’s deepening food crisis, narrowing channels of food access and slowing efforts to expand food productivity.

Climate change in Africa: the threat to agriculture

Africa’s dependence on food imports in the face of growing climate variability is a major cause for concern. On average sub Saharan Africa imports 25%-50% of its with the cereal import bill reaching USD 9.8BN in 2008. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 report provides an extensive assessment of the expected effects of climate change on agriculture in the Africa region. It estimates that Africa will be the most vulnerable to climate change globally, due to the multiple stresses of poor infrastructure, poverty and governance. Projections on yield reduction show a drop of up to 50% and crop revenue is forecast to fall by as much as 90% by 2100. Despite increasing industrialization and urbanization, the continent produces a tiny proportion of total carbon emissions. Contrarily, developed countries contribute significantly more in total global emissions in comparison to the developing south. On average Africa emits less than one ton per capita compared to over 10

Farmers hoeing their crops in Malawi.

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tons per capita in Europe and North America. As such, African governments in alliance with civil society organisations (CSO) have pressed on developed nations to do more to support the developing world in order to minimize the negative effects of climate change and variability, highlighting the need for the reform of global climate change financing and governance. Economic losses as a result of climate change are estimated at up to 14% of GDP if adaptation measures fail to be implemented diverting scarce funding away from agriculture development. Generating the necessary funding for climate change responses is proving to be a significant challenge for the majority of African states. Estimates on adaptation requirements and technological investment for Africa range between 5-10% of GDP for coastal countries alone. According to a study by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the environment, global warming could cost Africa between $50BN-100BN by 2020. FAO’s approach to climate change is lead by key programme principles which centre on integrating climate change concerns into food security and development planning, seeking a systems approach that builds on synergies, and working in a demand driven, location specific and participatory manner. Importantly FAO seeks to address, adaptation and mitigation issues as part of an ongoing learning process. Extensive adaptation measures to reduce the threat of climate change to agriculture development in Africa are a long way from implementation. Much more needs to be done to ensure that adequate insurance is in place to protect the rural poor against the dangers posed to food security, sustainable development and rural livelihoods. Expanding knowledge and capacity development by strengthening the ability of national and regional institutions to carry out forecasts and resource monitoring is increasingly critical to delivering effective responses to climate change at local level.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Generating

knowledge to tackle climate change

The FAO “Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative" (CSDI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is testing, communication for development (ComDev) approaches to be used in response to climate change The project aims at reducing the gap of knowledge and information between research institutions and farmers using ComDev tools and methodologies. A communication plan is being designed for the dissemination of technology innovation identified by national agriculture and forestry research and extension systems.

The project works through rural radios and extension agencies using communication tools such as farmer field schools and multimedia materials. DRC has also been selected as a pilot country as part of the UN REDD* initiative following assistance from FAO in collaboration with UNEP and UNDP. * Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation

HIV/AIDS orphans harvesting crops in an FAO Junior Farmer Field and Life School garden.

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Improving Africa’s water security

The Water and Food Security Initiative for Africa financed by Spain covers five countries in West Africa Guinea, Niger, Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso with the aim to assist countries to improve food security through sustainable development of land and water resources. The core project objectives are: (i) strengthening targeted countries capacity to reduce food insecurity by promoting small scale irrigation and increasing access to food for vulnerable groups (focusing on youth and women) and (ii) progressive scaling up of the initiative to other countries in West Africa. A mission was carried out in June by the Land and Water Resources Officer of West Africa FAO Sub-Regional Office (SFW) and the acting regional coordinator of the programme to consult with project staff and national coordinators on project implementation and monitoring and provide technical assistance.

Much progress has been made in delivering inputs to smallholders to improve water security and food production in the 5 countries. Over 500 ha of community small scale irrigation schemes are already constructed and used by smallholder farmers including women for rice and vegetable production and more than 600 ha are under construction. Thousands of smallholder farmers are trained and their capacity strengthened through participatory approach for sustainable water management of water. Enhanced access to seeds, fertilizer and land preparation has been a key achievement in addition to increased opportunities for income generation by vulnerable groups through poultry, small livestock and aquaculture. The initiative is scheduled to end in November 2011, but is likely to be extended following the positive results attained thus far and the high level of interest shown by the participating national governments.

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Women from the Lalari Karfi village in the Zinder region Niger ollecting water from a communal well built on a site developed for vegetable gardens to sustain the local community.



Agriculture data toolkit on gender developed for Africa

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Front cover of ‘Agri-Gender Database:: A statistical toolkit for the production of sex disaggregated data’ published by RAF this year.

An Agri-Gender Database has been developed to assist with the production of sex-disaggregated agricultural data in Africa. The database works as a toolkit, providing the basis for the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated agricultural data that reflects the socio-economic conditions of men and women operating in the agricultural sector. The availability of such data is critical for the planning of sustainable agricultural development in general, as well as the preparation of improved responses to specific development issues such as poverty reduction, rural development, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS prevention and the monitoring of Millennium Development Goals achievements. The Database is structured around nine data items focusing on the roles and responsibilities of men and women in the agricultural sector addressing access to productive resources, production and productivity and labour and time-use.

The 1st edition of the toolkit focuses on Africa due to the large number of relevant examples available from agricultural censuses implemented in this region at the time the toolkit was developed. Further editions will include examples from Asia and Latin America. A French version will also be available shortly. This toolkit, jointly development by RAF and FAO headquarters in Rome, is part of a wider FAO approach to strengthen national statistics capacity globally. Further details are provided in a brochure entitled, ‘Agri-Gender Database: A statistical toolkit for the production of sex disaggregated data’ that can be accessed at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/k8472e/k8472e00.pdf The database itself is available on-line at: http://www.fao.org/gender/agrigender/en



West Africa Fisheries Review 2010

The FAO Sub Regional Office for West Africa (SFW) launched a fisheries sector review to identify the needs and challenges of member states in the West Africa region to develop their national fisheries sectors. The review identified national requirements to inform development partners and align interventions with country and regional frameworks. The review entailed consultations through workshops held in Dakar and Accra in 2009. The representatives of national administrations validated the information gathered from their respective countries at the workshops. The workshops also provided forums to discuss fisheries development issues and concerns and identify strengths and weakness that promote and hinder the development

of fisheries in the sub region and its contribution to national economic development. Data obtained by the review was extracted from existing reports and recent missions carried out in collaboration with other FAO initiatives and various donors. Recommendations from the review include a proposal to create a functional forum based on FAO achievements in the sector to inform the development of pilot projects. Following the review, SFW aims to use the major recommendations to inform and enhance national and sub regional planning around fisheries sector reform.

Woman with a small straw broom, turning sardines that are drying in the sun, Togo.

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Liberia

• Over 80% of the population directly depends on fish for animal protein

• The fisheries sector contributed 12% of agriculture GDP in 2002

• Country’s long civil war weakened

fisheries governance and reduced its enforcement capacity

• Potential fish production is 180,000 tonnes

per year compared to actual production of 10,000 tonnes recorded in 2002.

Sierra Leone:

• 100,000 people are currently employed in the fisheries sector In 2006 industrial fisheries production accounted for only 10% of total catches.

• The total number of fishing craft has increased 25% since 1974.

• A new fisheries Policy was developed and

approved by the national government in 2003; promoting sustainable aquaculture development, capacity building and institutional development

Cote D’Ivoire

• Around 400,000 people depend on the fisheries sector for their livelihood security

• National fisheries development strategies give priority to the production of fish for domestic consumption linking fisheries to food security

• The value of fisheries exports stood at over

$100M in 2005.

• Tuna is the leading fisheries product in the sector accounting for the majority of export revenue.

Key Findings

Women being taken out into the pond in the boat to feed cassava chips to the fish in Tafi-Atome, Ghana.

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FAO Country Assistance: South Africa

FAO programmes in South Africa revolve around a central theme of empowerment of rural communities through sustainable development. Flagship programmes include the Telefood project, Government Cooperative Programmes and the Technical Cooperation Programme. Sustainable food production and nutrition In support of the National School Nutrition Programme a sustainable food production and nutrition education project has been launched. Overall project objectives include to contribute to improving the nutritional status of school children and improve knowledge and skills in food gardening for children, teachers and families. Capacity building project for South African professionals A capacity building project for South African professionals has been initiated in the field of agriculture and food security. The project rationale is that South Africa has and continues to provide assistance to countries in the SADC region in areas of emergencies and rehabilitation. Existing FAO mechanisms for exposure to international

programmes and institutions, such as the Associate Professional Officer and Young Professionals scheme, Fellowships and Study Tours have been utilized. The Special Programme for Food Security The Special Programme for Food Security in South Africa started in March 2004 and was completed on the 28 February 2009. Key project objectives featured the identification of four components for implementation; irrigation and water control, crop intensification and diversification and marketing; information and communication networks, and management and support services. Crop protection Crop protection is another major programme area for FAO in South Africa. The Pesticide Risk Reduction Group based within the Crop Production and Protection Division of FAO (AGP) works to assist member countries to improve the life-cycle management of pesticides from needs assessment through to regulation and registration and to enhance control of use and final disposal of unwanted contaminated materials such as old pesticide containers. Emergency Programme for Southern Africa FAO’s Regional Emergency Programme in Southern Africa has been established to assist governments, regional organizations and other stakeholders to protect and improve rural livelihoods, reduce vulnerability to shocks, and link short-term emergency assistance with longer term sustainable development initiatives. This will be achieved by supporting FAO and partner initiatives in the region, including programmatic support, information, coordination and advocacy and capacity building of FAO Offices and partners.

Maureen Chisale, who was voted woman farmer of the year for Gauteng Province, tending to her spinach plants.

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Building skills to boost Liberia’s rice crop

Like most of her neighbors in Liberia's Nimba County, Elizabeth Roberts learned to cultivate rice from previous generations of subsistence farmers. She also learned that it was not unusual to lose much of the year's rice crop after harvest.

Liberia's farmers lose up to half of their annual rice crop to post-harvest losses resulting from pests and spoilage, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Getting more of Liberia's rice crop to market has been one of the challenges facing the country as it strives to cut its dependence on rice imports. Through a local cooperative for women farmers, Elizabeth, 44, has become part of an ambitious national plan to boost the production, quality, durability and marketability of Liberia's rice crop. Benefiting from a training programme run by FAO Elizabeth has been shown improved techniques for producing, processing and storing rice along with members of a local women’s farmer cooperative. Elizabeth explained that members of the cooperative,

the Tappita Women's Structure, have learned how to turn overgrown swamps into lowland rice fields, improve rice yield and quality throughout the growth cycle, use various techniques to protect the rice from pests, and add to the value of the crop with appropriate post-harvest processing and storage. To maximize the impact of distribution and training initiatives, the programme is working with both men's and women's farmer cooperatives, to be sure that women are given equal access to opportunities for distribution, training and decision-making processes. Elizabeth now helps to train other members of her women's farmer cooperative in sustainable farming and post-harvest processing techniques. She says updated methods for preserving nutrients in rice and making it more durable, will together with improved storage techniques, allow her and other farmers to reduce post-harvest losses of rice grain and lay the groundwork for a better future.

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Women carrying her child while working in a rice field in Liberia



Ethiopia's groundbreaking livestock feed

In 2009, FAO launched Multi Nutrient Blocks (MNBs) in Ethiopia. So far nearly 200,000 blocks for livestock nutrition have been produced and distributed to targeted drought affected households in Southern Tigray, Afar, and Eastern Amhara. One MNB is enough to eat for five goats for two days or a mature cow two weeks. Producer groups have been established at Assayita, Awash, Chifra and Berhale towns in the region of Afar. Developing alternative sources for animal feed in drought prevalent regions like Afar, Ethiopia is critical to the survival of local communities where livestock mortality rates are high. Abdu (quoted above) is a herder on the edge of the vast semi desert of the Afar region home to millions of pastoralists and a beneficiary of FAO‘s (MNB) Livestock project.

“The cows gave more milk. Other animals that were weak with the drought became strong after using the blocks. I really appreciate what FAO has done.’ Abdu, a herder from Afar region

He is testing a new type of feed block made from cheap local materials like molasses and wheat bran. A cooperative set up under the project, employs 20 people and produces on average 2000 Multi Nutrient Blocks a day. Wogris Arba, clan leader and the local official responsible for the coop is positive about the project’s sustainability, ‘The cooperative is now selling blocks to other drought affected districts. It is generating money.’ FAO widely promotes the production of supplementary animal feeds from local materials such as crop residue and even cactus. In addition to nutrition blocks for livestock, FAO also provides water points and vaccinations for animals.

A farmer woman feeding cattle with Multi-Nutrient Blocks (MNB) in Chiffra Woreda Ethiopia .

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Ghana UN-DAF Country Analysis

As part of the process to develop the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2012 -2016, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Ghana conducted a Country Analysis for Ghana. The assessment showed that Ghana has made progress in the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. The number of districts facing chronic food production deficits, has reduced from 22 in 2005 to 15 in 2006, and further down to 12 in 2008. The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) also found that 5 per cent of the population (about 1.2 million people) have very limited access to sufficient and nutritious food and are defined as food insecure. In addition, about 2.07 million people are vulnerable to becoming food insecure. Statistics show that over 70% of people whose incomes are below the poverty line can be found in the Savannah areas. National Response and Strategies

As a way of ameliorating poverty in the 3 northern regions, the government in 2008, proposed the establishment of the Northern Development Authority to handle the developmental challenges in these regions.

In 2009, the initiative was re-named the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and its range and geographical scope widened to include some District Assemblies in parts of the Brong-Ahafo and Volta regions that share borders with the northern regions. As part of operationalisation of the initiative, SADA is to be mainstreamed into national policy and development plan. Ghana signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Compact (CAADP) on October 27th, 2008. A 20% increase in the number of vulnerable households reached with agricultural services is a stated goal of the Ghana CAADP Compact, as well as improved management of food emergencies and emergency preparedness, with emphasis on strengthening of early warning systems and prevention of disasters. Mechanization centers are also planned in every district and increased access to fertilizers and irrigation facilities provided to small holder farmers.

Jacques Diouf, Director General FAO attends a opening ceremony for the national food fair as part of celebrations for Ghana@50.

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FAO Country Assistance: Tanzania

Strengthening Food Security And Nutrition Information Systems: A multi-sectoral framework for Tanzania Food Security and Nutrition Analysis System (MUCHALI) has been developed with assistance by FAO, to address challenges in food security and nutrition analysis. The aim is to develop a framework for conducting an integrated analysis on food security and nutrition in the country with the purpose of providing information to decision makers on food security and nutrition policy and emergency responses. Following the completion of the framework, efforts are underway to operationalize the system both at national and local levels in partnership with UNDP.

Soaring Food Prices During 2008/09, FAO provided support to Tanzania to mitigate the impact of soaring food prices. In the mainland, over 5000 people received assistance through provision of maize and sorghum seed, DAP urea fertilizers. Similarly in Zanzibar, the support benefited 26,000 people through provision of rice and maize seed and fertilizers. In Zanzibar a team of rice seed producers received FAO support, contributing to an increase in the amount of local rice seed for the coming planting season. The provision of these inputs proved critical to areas where insufficient rainfall typically leads to lower crop yields.

Emergency Supply Of Maize Seed To Drought Affected Farmers The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),

launched an appeal for emergency seed assistance to support farmers affected by drought and poor harvest during the 2008/09 cropping season. In response the United Kingdom provided £2.3M (USD $3.5M) in March 2010, for the procurement and distribution of seeds. With FAO assistance a total of 159,200 vulnerable farm families were targeted for emergency seed support, providing 1,592 metric tonnes of maize seed to cover 64, 427 hectares of land. Unfortunately due to the limited availability of seeds in the country, as a result of drought, only 460 metric tonnes of maize seed was available for distribution covering 10 districts. A total of 42,490 beneficiary households received 10 kilograms of maize seed each. From the 17,000 hectares planted, with normal rainfall, about 21,250 metric tons of maize grain would be harvested by the households. Expectations are that with the early end to the rainy season in the low land regions of Tanzania, average harvests will be marginally lower than anticipated. Further distribution of seeds for the next cropping season will start in September 2010,

Vendors selling fruits and vegetables at a local market in Dar es Salaam

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Somalia humanitarian crisis eases

The number of people needing humanitarian assistance in Somalia has dropped by 25 percent to 2 million in the last six months, easing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to a UN study published in August. But the report, produced by the FAO’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) based in Nairobi, warned that though Somalia received above average rains, boosting food production and livestock farming, these gains could easily be reversed. The recent long rainy season – from April to the end of June – was good. The season, also known as Gu, received above normal rainfall in most of the country, boosting production of maize and sorghum and improving conditions in the livestock sector, the major economic activity of the country. These findings come after a prolonged drought reduced crop production, killed livestock and pushed 42 percent of Somalia’s 7.5 million people into crisis in 2009.

The situation was exacerbated by high food prices and high levels of civil insecurity. “We are seeing some positive indicators in the agricultural sector, yet for the pastoralists in central, Hiran regions and parts of the north, they will need many more good seasons of rain to fully recover their herd sizes,” said Luca Alinovi, responsible for the FAO office in Somalia. It is estimated that 40 000 pastoralists have been badly affected by the recent drought. FAO is currently helping Somalia with 16 projects worth more than $53 million. The main donor is the European Union, contributing more than $30 million, followed by the World Bank ($7.9 million), Spain ($3.7 million) and others. Projects are aimed at enhancing small farmers’ crops production, improving their market access and boosting their incomes while also rehabilitating essential irrigation infrastructure and improving agricultural practices through integrated pest management and storage techniques.

Family receives support in neighbouring Ethiopia as part of an joint emergency response by FAO and WFP.

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FAO partners with Rome based agencies at Zambia agriculture show

FAO, IFAD and the World Food Programme jointly exhibited at Zambia’s 84th annual agriculture and commercial show in Lusaka from July 29th –August 2nd 2010. The annual show is an opportunity for businesses and organizations from across the country and the region to exhibit their products and services. Invited to exhibit as a partner of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the three Rome- based UN agencies showcased programmes and innovative interventions in support of Zambia’s agricultural sector. FAO exhibited programme and projects that included support to the Zambian government in promoting cassava production and processing as an alternative to maize, and activities on Conservation Agriculture. IFAD included ongoing projects aimed at improving food security in Zambia through funding animal

disease control under the Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme. Meanwhile, WFP focused on its Purchase for Programme and Mobile Delivery Tracking system. Former President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda attended as Special Guest of Honour. The event contributed to ongoing UN reforms aimed at increasing national ownership and supporting synergies between agencies, while simultaneously promoting the achievement of Zambia’s Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

WFP Zambia Country Director Pablo Reclade, welcomes Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Hon. Peter Daka (left) and Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development Hon. Brandford Machila (right).

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Boost to market access in Northern Uganda

FAO and the WFP have signed a 15-month partnership agreement to support smallholders from Northern Uganda in their access to markets. WFP is currently rolling out a new intervention called Purchase for Progress (P4P) throughout Uganda, but with a bigger focus on Northern Uganda and Karamoja. In this initative, WFP aims at sourcing a significant part of the principal food crops including maize and beans from smallholder farmers. Within the next four years, WFP anticipates to support 48,000 Ugandan smallholder farmers and small scale traders to increase their income and strengthen their capacity to engage in commercial agriculture. The new project builds on the existing Farmer Field School (FFS) groups which are being implemented by FAO Uganda through over 30 Non Governmental Organisations in northern Uganda. The P4P will be implemented in the Acholi and Lango-sub regions, where more than 1000 FFS have been established benefiting 32,000 households.

To tailor the intervention to the specific needs of households who have recently been displaced, FAO support the FFS with productive assets like oxen and ox-ploughs and with entrepreneurial grants providing access to finance to kick start agricultural production and agro- processing equipment. Low quality of farm out-put, post harvest losses in addition to limited access to market information has posed challenges for FFS networks on local market development. In collaboration with WFP as part of the P4P programme, FAO will focus on capacity building of 30 FFS networks in Lango and Acholi to address produce quality, storage and market information. FAO will also address post harvest management and marketing looking at value chain approaches. As a result smallholder farmers will be better equipped and informed to take advantage of market opportunities provided by private traders and development agencies.

Vendors sell tomatoes at a local street market in Uganda

© FAO



Participatory Forest Management in Ethiopia

Deforestation and the resulting environmental degradation is a major challenge in Ethiopia and a key factor facing food security, community livelihood and sustainable development. Participatory Forest Management (PFM) is a mechanism to protect forests and enhance the livelihoods of communities. This approach is currently being implemented with FAO assistance in Ethiopia. The major elements of PFM are forest development management, include plantation, reforestation and the rehabilitation of degraded lands; forest protection and utilization and monitoring and evaluation of forest resources. PFM is a growing strategy for dealing with poverty and environmental degradation in Ethiopia. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

(MoARD) is currently in the initial stage of scaling up PFM in Ethiopia. The project for expanding PFM was launched in June 2009 with full implementation planned from June 2010 up until 2014. To give a clear view of the impact of PFM in the Kafa zone in Southern Ethiopia, a database for PFM was piloted with support from FAO and FARM Africa. The database is designed to give information on the size of PFM forests, the number of beneficiaries that are covered, the social make up of beneficiaries in regards to gender, minorities and landless groups and the density of PFM members per hectare. Following PFM implementation the commitment of local communities to forest protection is shown to have greatly improved. Action taken has included

Forest area affected by flooding in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

© FAO



the rehabilitation of degraded lands and area closures. Two thirds of PFM actors have reported a positive impact on communities’ livelihoods following PFM implementation. Favourable project outcomes included increased food consumption, improved income generation and enhanced access to market chains. Factors for the successful implementation of PFM projects in Ethiopia have included strong collaboration, and community involvement alongside ensuring support from relevant regional and local government actors. Making use of and strengthening already present traditional systems; repeatedly consulting the community; communicating and building consensus with local elders, politicians and religious leaders and recognizing traditional knowledge and customary rights was also cited as important to achieving project goals.

PFM organizations in Ethiopia are limited in their cooperation and communication with other forest development organisations. They have been encouraged to improve coordination and make better use existing channels e.g. the PFM working group (PFM WG). Importantly, few organizations working on PFM in Ethiopia include climate change modalities in their strategies. Climate change concerns could be seized as an opportunity for PFM actors to safeguard economic incentives for communities and governments to engage in PFM.



RAF Staff Interview: Karen Korsah, Operations Assistant

What do you enjoy most about working at RAF? Interacting with colleagues from all over Africa and HQ. During the initial days of FPMIS being a part of the ‘authoring’ of this powerful tool for our work gave me a sense of purpose. What are the most significant challenges facing operations in light of decentralization? I think currently the speed of reform and the issue of staff capacity to ensure delivery, and increased workloads are major challenges for RAF. It’s likely that there will need to be a balance in the future between streamlining activities and ensuring that the coordination of projects are effectively resourced. How would you like to see operations at RAF develop in the long term? Operations will have to move quickly to respond to a rapidly changing environment. In development agencies like FAO it is important to make sure that interventions are based on accountability, the effective delegation of shared responsibilities and efficient coordination on limited resources. In my view this would have not only a positive impact on operations at RAF but could also translate into real improvements at the sub regional offices too.

What advice would you give to those thinking about a career in coordinating rural development programmes? I would encourage people to move into programme work, I’ve found it a rewarding experience. It’s not something that you go into half heartedly. It requires a lot of commitment. But one’s contribution to the humanitarian cause, however small, makes a career in operations worthwhile.

How long have you been working at RAF? I joined RAF in September 1981, making it 29 years. What was RAF like when you joined and how much has it changed? RAF back then was a completely different, close knit environment, more like a family in comparison to what things are now. At present, RAF has really grown, with new faces and a fast-paced atmosphere. What does your role involve? My role revolves around project monitoring, I focus mainly on producing reports on project delivery at regional level. A good deal of my time is spent using Field Programme Monitoring and Information System (FPMIS) which is the main channel for collecting and accessing information on FAO RAF projects.

Karen working at the RAF office in Accra, Ghana .

© FAO



Annex: Finance overview - RAF Expenditure 2008/2009

9%

69%

3%

17%

2%



FAO Offices in Africa

FAO©

FAO Regional Office for Africa Residential Address FAO Building Gamel Abdul Nasser Road Accra, Ghana

Mailing Address: P.O. Box GP 1628 Accra Telephone: +233-21-675000 Fax: +233-21-668427 Email [email protected] Website www.fao.org/africa

FAO Subregional Office for Central Africa Residential Address Villa N°36 Cité de la Démocratie Libreville, Gabon

Mailing Address: P.O.Box 2643, Libreville Telephone: +241-241-774783 Fax: +241-241-740035 E-mail: [email protected] FAO Subregional Office for Eastern Africa Residential Address Ethio-China Friendship Road Kirkos Sub City Kebele 02 House No. 174 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Mailing Address: P O Box 5536 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Telephone: +251-11-5511398 Fax: +251-11-5515266 E-mail: [email protected]

FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa Residential Address Block 1 Tendeseka Office Park Corner Samora Machel Avenue & Renfrew Road Eastlea Harare Mailing Address: P.O.Box 3730, Harare Telephone: +263-4-253657 Fax: +263-4-700724 E-mail: [email protected] FAO Subregional Office for West Africa Residential Address FAO Building Game Abdul Nasser Road Accra, Ghana Mailing Address: P.O. Box GP 1628, Accra, Ghana Telephone: +233-21-7010930 E-mail: [email protected]

regional office for africa (raf) · 2010-12-21 · revolution 7 agriculture investment workshop...

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